Thursday, February 14, 2013

VALENTINE'S DAY AUTHOR

SIX MAGIC INGREDIENTS FOR WRITING

By Jackie Kramer

People
are always asking me, what’s the secret of becoming a published author?”
Actually, there is no secret, but there are six basic things that will go a
long way towards success.

1. Be a
reader. Most writers do this already, but it’s amazing how many people don’t
read, think they have a book somewhere in them. Also important is to read in
the genre you want to write…read and love it. The market tends to change and
sometimes authors find the genre they are famous for has dried up. Many of them
will attempt to write to the new market with disastrous results. Do you quit?
No, find a way to make the new genre work with your chosen love. After all, do
you read only ONE type of book? Unlikely! So if you like to write historical
romances and romantic suspense is king, why not write a historical romantic
suspense?

2. Learn
the craft. Start with Basic English (or whatever is the language of your target
audience). Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are YOUR responsibility, not the
editor’s. Also, learn the how to plot, how to build characters to care for, how
to write believable dialogue. Learn scene and sequel, all about hooks, pro and
cons of series, all the “have-to’s” of producing a selling novel.

3. Learn
the business of publishing. Not just which editor is with what publisher or
which agent is accepting unsolicited manuscripts, but so much more. Should you
shoot for traditional or indie? Even if you have an agent, what’s a good
contract? And once you’ve sold, what about taxes? What is effective promotion
and how much time and money should you invest in it?

4. Persistence.
Most important, how far are you willing to go? I’ve heard writers state that if
they don’t sell within five years, they’re giving up. Study the history of
other authors, friends. Rejections are merely compost, to be considered as a
way of improving your writing. Most well-known authors have tons of rejections
under their belts. Some even have only one well-known book. The key to writer’s
success is to never give up.

5. Belief
in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Okay,
there will be days when you feel you can’t do this anymore. Have some chocolate
and/or wine (or both) and move past the doubt. If YOU believe you can succeed,
then you can!

6. Luck.
Yeah, you still have to have a certain amount of luck. That one editor who
likes your work. The contest win that puts you in the spotlight. The underdog
manuscript that finds an instant crowd of admiring readers. But, like the
lottery, to win, you have to buy a ticket. You have to do the other five things
so you’re ready with Lady Luck is there to smile on you.

Jackie Kramer

Jackie
Kramer recently retired from over 30 years of working her first love, pediatric
nursing, to pursue a career in her second love, writing. She is presently
working on indie-publishing her backlist while working on a time-travel
romance. Watch for the electronic version of her first book CHRISTMAS BONUS,
soon to be available on as many electronic formats as she can learn.